Designed asperity contactors, including nanospikes, for semiconductor test, and associated systems and methods

ABSTRACT

Nanospike contactors suitable for semiconductor device test, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A representative apparatus includes a package having a wafer side positioned to face toward a device under test and an inquiry side facing away from the wafer side. A plurality of wafer side sites are carried at the wafer side of the package. The nanospikes can be attached to nanospike sites on a wafer side of the package. Because of their small size, multiple nanospikes make contact with a single pad/solderball on the semiconductor device. In some embodiments, after detecting that the device under test passes the test, the device under the test can be packaged to create a known good die in a package.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/286,035, filed Oct. 5, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/843,690, filed Mar. 15, 2013, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,494,618, which claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/746,000, filed Dec. 26, 2012, each of which isincorporated herein by reference. To the extent the foregoingapplications and/or any other materials incorporated herein by referenceconflict with the present disclosure, the present disclosure controls.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology is directed generally to designed asperitycontactors, including nanospikes, that are used with packages capable ofcontacting pads or solderballs on a semiconductor device, and associatedsystems and methods.

BACKGROUND

Integrated circuits are used in a wide variety of products. Integratedcircuits have continuously decreased in price and increased inperformance, becoming ubiquitous in modern electronic devices. Theseimprovements in the performance/cost ratio result, at least in part,from miniaturization, which enables more semiconductor dies to beproduced from a wafer with each new generation of the integrated circuitmanufacturing technology. Furthermore, the total number of the signaland power/ground contacts on a die generally increases with new, morecomplex die designs. An increased number of contacts on a die (e.g.,pads or solderballs) over a decreased size of the die necessitatessmaller contacts.

Prior to shipping an integrated circuit die to a customer, theperformance of the integrated circuit is tested, either on a statisticalsample basis or by testing each die. An electrical test of asemiconductor die typically includes powering the die through thepower/ground connectors, transmitting signals to the die input (I)connectors, and measuring the resulting signals at the die output (O)connectors. Therefore, during the integrated circuit test at least someconnectors on the die must be electrically contacted to connect the dieto a source of power and a source of the test signals.

FIG. 1A is a side view of a conventional test contactor 10 a in contactwith a semiconductor device 10 b (e.g., a device under test). Thesemiconductor device 10 b can include a packaged die 12 attached to adie substrate 18 with a die attach material 16. Wirebonds 14 provideelectrical connections between circuits in the die 12 and solderballs 20(or pads or other contact structures) that provide communication betweenthe die 12 and other devices. The solderballs 20 also providecommunication between the die 12 and the test contactor 10 a. As shownin FIG. 1A, the test contactor 10 a has an array of spring-loaded pins22 between a contactor substrate 26 and the solderballs 20. As thecontactor substrate 26 moves downwardly toward the semiconductor device10 b, the pins 22 make contact with the solderballs 20. When thecontactor substrate 26 moves further toward the semiconductor device 10b or the semiconductor device 10 b moves toward the contactor substrate26, the springs of the pins 22 compress, producing increased contactforces between the pins 22 of the contactor 10 a and the solderballs 20of the semiconductor device 10 b. In general, the contact forces shouldbe high enough to allow the pins 22 to break through an oxide layer onthe pads/solderballs (e.g., the contact structures), but not so high asto damage the pads/solderballs. This may be a difficult requirement forthe conventional spring loaded pins 22 because they tend to produce highcontact forces, thus penetrating through the oxide layer on thepads/solderballs 20, but also possibly damaging the contacts on the die.Furthermore, for a large number of pads/solderballs 20, the totalcontactor force can quickly become very high, thus requiring powerfulmechanisms to compress the contactor 10A.

FIG. 1B illustrates several designs for commercially available springloaded pins positioned in a compressed state. In one example, a pin 22 ahas a pair of cylindrical, male/female pin segments 40 a/41 a that canslide relative to each other along a common centerline. As the contactorsubstrate (shown in FIG. 1A) pushes the female pin segment 41 a towardthe solderball 20 a, a spring 32 a becomes compressed between a shoulder38 a on the female pin segment 41 a and a shoulder 36 a on the male pinsegment 40 a. The contact force between a crown tip 34 a and thesolderball 20 a increases generally linearly with the compression ofspring 32 a.

In another spring loaded pin design, also shown in FIG. 1B, a pin 22 bincludes a spring 32 b that is compressed between a shoulder 36 b on apin segment 40 b and the connector substrate (shown in FIG. 1A). Thepins 22 a/22 b typically have either a crown tip 34 a or a pointed tipto facilitate breaking through the oxide layer over the solderballs 20 aor pads 20 b respectively. The range of compression for the springs 32a/32 b is ultimately limited either by a full compression of the springsor by the force provided by a compression mechanism. The individual pinsare arranged in a contactor that keeps the pins aligned in a properlayout, as explained below with reference to FIG. 1C.

FIG. 1C is a bottom view of the contactor 10 a used for contacting thesemiconductor device 10 b (shown in FIG. 1A). The contactor 10 a has atwo dimensional array of pins 22 corresponding to the array of contactstructures on the packaged device under test. The pins 22 protrudethrough a perforated mask 46. The contactor substrate 26 mechanicallysupports one end of the pins 22 while the opposite ends of the pins 22engage with the device under test. Alignment features 44 a-b can alignthe device under test and the contactor 10 a. The contactor substrate 26also provides electrical signals to the pins 22. A characteristicdiameter of the pins 22 generally scales with a characteristic dimensionof the contact structures on the semiconductor die or the package.Therefore, as the contact structures on the die become smaller and/orhave a smaller pitch, the pins must become smaller, too. It is difficultto significantly reduce the diameter and pitch of the spring loadedpins, however, because of the difficulties in machining and assemblingsuch small parts, which in turn can cause inconsistent performance fromone assembly to another.

FIG. 2A is an isometric view of a test contactor 10 c suitable for abare die test (i.e., suitable for testing un-packaged dies). The testcontactor 10 c has a two-dimensional array of flexible needles 52carrying needle blades 54 and corresponding to the layout of thepads/solderballs on the die under test. The flexible needles 52 can becurved to provide springiness when the needle blades 54 engage with thecorresponding pads/solderballs on the die. The opposite ends of theflexible needles 52 are mechanically and electrically connected with asubstrate 56 and further to a source of signals and/or power/ground. Asthe needle blades 54 engage with the corresponding pads/solderballs, theneedle blades may slide over the surface of the pads/solderballs. Thissliding action, coupled with a relatively high stiffness of the flexibleneedles 52, typically works well to break the oxide layer on thepads/solderballs, but it can also cause penetration damage, asillustrated in FIG. 2B described below.

FIG. 2B is a top view of a solderball 22 after undergoing the testdescribed with reference to FIG. 2A. As shown in FIG. 2B, the pressureand/or sliding action of the needle blade 54 produced a depression 62 inthe solderball 22. Such an undesired depression can be exacerbated byrepetitive tests requiring multiple contacts or “touchdowns” between theneedles 52 and the contact structures on the device. Repetitive testsare common with, for example, devices that marginally pass or fail aninitial test (therefore requiring additional testing), devices placedclose to a wafer edge (therefore undergoing multiple contacts due to acontactor design that does not allow for an overhang over the waferedge), devices subjected to multiple test suites using different testers(therefore also requiring multiple contacts), etc. Furthermore,conventional test contactors have relatively high electricalresistances, which limits their ability to test high current devices.Accordingly, there remains a need for cost effective test contactorsthat do not damage the contact structures on the die and that can scaledown in size with the contact structure size and pitch, while beingcapable of delivering high electrical currents.

Many semiconductor dies undergo testing prior to die singulation (i.e.,testing is performed on the wafer) as well as after being packaged.Testing the semiconductor dies on the wafer helps in eliminating as manyout-of-spec devices prior to investing more money and time in theirsingulation and packaging. However, in some cases the devices cannot befully tested while on the wafer. For example, with high speed devicesthe I/O frequencies and power delivery may be too high for the typicallylong and slender needles 52 having high inductance and/or resistance.Therefore, in many cases after the die singulation and packaging, thepackaged devices are tested again to verify performance at higherfrequencies and higher power consumption. Some packaged devices may failthe test even though they passed the lower frequency/power test on thewafer. This process increases the overall manufacturing cost not onlybecause the device was tested twice, which carries a cost penalty byitself, but also because when a packaged device fails, both the die andthe package must be discarded. Thus, the package cost of the faileddevice cannot be recovered, which further increases the cost of testing.Accordingly, there remains a need for the test contactors that can testdevices on the wafer at increased I/O frequencies and power to reduce orminimize additional testing of the packaged devices.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features ofthe claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid indetermining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of thisinvention will become more readily appreciated as the same become betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description, whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a partially schematic, side view of a packaged semiconductordevice undergoing a test in accordance with the prior art.

FIG. 1B is a partially schematic, side view of several representativepin designs in accordance with the prior art.

FIG. 1C is a top view of a prior art contactor.

FIG. 2A is a partially schematic, isometric view of a bare die contactorin accordance with the prior art.

FIG. 2B is an isometric illustration of solderball damage caused by aprior art contactor.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a translator stack in accordance with anembodiment of the presently disclosed technology.

FIG. 4 is a partially schematic, side view of a translator stack inaccordance with another embodiment of the presently disclosedtechnology.

FIG. 5 is a partially schematic, side view of a nanospikes-basedcontactor in accordance with an embodiment of the presently disclosedtechnology.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the nanospikes-based contactor in accordancewith another embodiment of the presently disclosed technology.

FIGS. 7A-7C include several partially schematic views illustrating thenanospikes-based contactor in accordance with the presently disclosedtechnology.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the nanospikes-based contactor when vacuum isapplied in accordance with an embodiment of the presently disclosedtechnology.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a nanospikes-based translator stack inaccordance with the presently disclosed technology.

FIGS. 10A-10G are schematic illustrations of a manufacturing process fora nanospike contactor in accordance with the presently disclosedtechnology.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of sputtering-based nanospikemanufacturing process.

FIGS. 12A-12D are schematic diagrams of a nanospike manufacturingprocess in accordance with an embodiment of the presently disclosedtechnology.

FIGS. 13A-13H are schematic diagrams of a nanospike manufacturingprocess in accordance with another embodiment of the presently disclosedtechnology.

FIGS. 14A-14F illustrate several nanospike shapes in accordance with thepresent technology.

FIGS. 15A-15B illustrate a star-shaped nanospike in accordance with thepresent technology.

FIGS. 16A-16B illustrate a blade-shaped nanospike in accordance with thepresent technology.

FIGS. 17A-17B illustrate a cross-shaped nanospike in accordance with thepresent technology.

FIGS. 18A-18E are schematic diagrams of a nanospike manufacturingprocess in accordance with an embodiment of the presently disclosedtechnology.

FIG. 19 is a graph of electrical resistivity and hardness ofrepresentative contact pad and nanospike materials.

FIGS. 20A-20C are partially schematic diagrams of a bare die test usinga package having nanospikes in accordance with an embodiment of thepresently disclosed technology.

FIGS. 21A-21B are partially schematic diagrams of a nanospike/solderballattachment in accordance with an embodiment of the presently disclosedtechnology.

FIGS. 22A-22B are cross-sectional views of the nanospikes capable of anexothermic reaction in accordance with the present technology.

FIGS. 23A-23B are partially schematic diagrams of an underfillapplication in accordance with an embodiment of the presently disclosedtechnology.

FIGS. 24A-24B are side views of a process for testing a device withuneven solderball heights using a nanospike-based contactor inaccordance with the present technology.

FIG. 25 is a partially schematic diagram of reshaping a solderball usinga nanospike-based contactor in accordance with the present technology.

FIGS. 26A-26C are isometric views of a mechanism suitable for reshapingthe solderball using a nanospike based contactor in accordance with thepresent technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Specific details of several embodiments of representative designedasperity contactors and associated systems and methods for manufactureand use are described below. The contactors can be used for testing baresemiconductor dies on a wafer, and/or packaged semiconductor dies. Thecontactors can be used for testing different types of semiconductordevices including, for example, memory devices, logic devices, lightemitting diodes, micro-electro-mechanical-systems, and/or combinationsof these devices. A person skilled in the relevant art will alsounderstand that the technology may have additional embodiments, and thatthe technology may be practiced without several of the details of theembodiments described below with reference to FIGS. 3-26 c.

Briefly described, methods and devices for testing bare and packagedsemiconductor dies are disclosed. The disclosed methods and systemsenable operators to test devices having pads, solderballs and/or othercontact structures that have a small size and/or pitch. Solderballs,pads and/or other suitable conductive elements are collectively referredto herein as “contact structures.” In many embodiments, the technologydescribed in the context of one or more type of contact structures canalso be applied to others. In contrast with the conventional contactstructures, the designed asperities can be significantly smaller thanthe corresponding contact structures on the device under test. Unlessotherwise noted, the term designed asperities is used herein toencompass designed non-uniformities (e.g., deliberately formedstructures that are small, but are not simply surface roughness that mayform as a fallout from a manufacturing process). Accordingly, designedasperities have a scale that is substantially smaller than the scale ofthe corresponding pad/solderball of the device it contacts (e.g., deviceunder test) and can be formed in a controlled, repeatable process, e.g.,to maintain consistent properties and performance from one batch toanother. Such asperities include, but are not limited to, nanospikes.Accordingly, while representative examples of the present technology aredescribed below in the context of nanospikes, the technology is notlimited to nanospikes and can instead include other design asperities.

Designed asperities, nanospikes, subscale penetrating structures and/orother structures performing similar functions can be tailored for themetal, surface finish, and/or pitch of the contact structures contactedto improve (e.g., optimize) electrical contact and/or reduce (e.g.,minimize) damage to the contact structures. Because the nanospikes aremuch smaller than conventional contact structures, the damage to thecontact structures is reduced or eliminated, even if the device iscontacted repeatedly. The designed asperities, e.g., the nanospikes, areengineered and manufactured to possess a high degree of regularity, asopposed to naturally occurring roughness on the surface of solidmaterials. In some embodiments, a high degree of size uniformity and asmoothness of surface of the nanospikes can reduce or minimize of thetendency for contact materials to stick to the nanospikes, even when thenanospikes repeatedly penetrate into the contacts. In general, thecontact force can be smaller because nanospikes displace a smalleramount of material by a smaller distance than do conventional testdevices. In at least some embodiments, the multiple nanospikes transmitelectrical current to a pad/solderball with less resistance andtherefore less current constriction than does a single, larger contactpoint associated with the conventional technology. Since the contactresistance between the nanospikes and corresponding pad/solderball is,at least in the first order of approximation, inversely proportional tothe total contact area, the nanospikes can produce a relatively lowcontact resistance due to the large combined contact area provided bythe multiple nanospikes contacting corresponding pad/solderball.Similarly, the electrical resistance of the nano-spike-based contactorsis proportional to the ratio of the cross sectional area of thenanospikes and their electrical conductivity, and is inverselyproportional to the length of the nanospikes. Due to the small length ofthe nanospikes and high total cross-sectional area provided by multiplenanospikes, the electrical resistance of the nanospike-based contactorscan be acceptable even with the nanospike material having a relativelylow intrinsic electrical conductivity. Consequently, some materials thatare not suitable for the conventional contactors due to their poorelectrical conductivity may be suitable as a nanospike material. In someembodiments, the nanospikes can be about 0.3-2 μm long. In otherembodiments, the nanospikes can be about 50-200 nm long, making themsuitable for the manufacturing process based on e-beam lithography.Other sizes of the nanospikes, for example smaller than 50 nm and biggerthan 2 μm are also possible. In at least some embodiments, therelatively small length of the nanospikes limits the penetration of thenanospikes through the pads on a device under test, thus protecting thedielectric layer that is typically located under the pad. Much greaterpressure would be required for the nanospikes to further penetratethrough the dielectric layer than to simply penetrate into the solderand/or the pad material. Since multiple nanospikes are distributed overa wafer side contact pad of a translator, the alignment between thepad/solderball of a device under test and the wafer side contact pad ofthe translator is more robust (e.g., more tolerant of mis-alignmentsand/or temperature excursions) than is the alignment associated withconventional methods that use a single, larger spring-loaded pin forcontacting the pad/solderball. In some embodiments, the nanospikes canbe used on the inquiry-side contact pads of the wafer translator inaddition or in lieu of using the nanospikes on the wafer side contactpads. Consequently, in at least some embodiments, the current carryingcapability, alignment and/or repeatability of the tests conducted withcontactors that include nanospike technology are improved when comparedwith conventional technology. Furthermore, in at least some embodiments,an inventive device package can be used as a translator to test dies onthe wafer. The device package can have nano-spikes on the wafer-sidepads for contacting the solderballs of the dies on the wafer. In atleast some embodiments, due to the high I/O frequency and currentcarrying capabilities of the package, the device under test can betested sufficiently such that no additional post-packaging testing isneeded. In some embodiments of the technology, such a device under testthat successfully passed the test can be packaged while still on thewafer by melting its solderballs and/or nanospikes, thus reducing theneed for the subsequent processing of the device. In some embodiments,the translator can be used to reshape the solderballs by, for example,making their heights uniform using high pressure. Better solderballheight uniformity can result in higher test and packaging yields becausethe electrical/mechanical contacts with the corresponding packagecontacts are improved.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a translator system 100 configured inaccordance with embodiments of the presently disclosed technology. FIG.3 is a schematic side view of the translator system 100. The overallsystem 100 can include a tester 102 that transmits signals and power toone or more dies on a wafer 150. The tester 102 can also measure,analyze and store the return signals from the device under test todetermine its quality. The wafer 150 is supported by a wafer chuck 160,which can also provide thermal control and precise positioning for thewafer. The signals and power from the tester 102 pass through a testercable 104 to a device interface board 120, which may be a printedcircuit board with an appropriate routing arrangement to distribute thesignals and power to required locations on a wafer-facing side of theprinted circuit board. In addition or in lieu of the tester cable 104,the tester 102 (or some parts of it) can dock directly to the deviceinterface board 120 through suitably distributed pairs of connectors.The device interface board 120 can electrically and mechanically connectto an interposer board 130, which, in turn, can precisely dock with atranslator 140 to distribute the signals and power to the translator. Insome embodiments of the present technology, the translator 140 haslarger contact pads facing the interposer board 130 (e.g., inquiry sidecontact pads of the translator) and smaller contact pads facing thewafer 150 (e.g., wafer side contact pads of the translator). In at leastsome embodiments of the present technology, larger inquiry side contactpads on the translator 140 facilitate contact with the pins of theinterposer board 130. The smaller wafer side contact pads and/or pins ofthe translator 140 correspond to the finer pitch and size of thepads/solderballs on the wafer 150.

FIG. 4 is a side view of selected elements of the translator system 100of FIG. 3. Many features of FIG. 4 are not shown to scale for purposesof illustration. The system 100 can include a translator stack 400 thatin turn includes the device interface board 120, the interposer board130 and the translator 140 connected to an active side of the wafer 150.The wafer chuck 160 supports the opposite, non-active side of the wafer150. Starting from the top of the stack 400, the device interface board120 can have interface board connectors 406 for interfacing with thetester or tester cable (not shown). The signals and power from thetester can be distributed to interface board pins 428 facingcorresponding contacts 438 on the interposer board 130. In otherembodiments, the interposer board 130 can have pins facing correspondingcontacts of the device interface board 120, or other suitable connectionarrangements. In any of these embodiments, the interposer board 130 canbe aligned relative to the translator 140, e.g., using a support ring480. In some embodiments of the present technology, a space 486 betweenthe interposer board 130 and the translator 140 can be at leastpartially evacuated, e.g., through openings 482 to provide goodmechanical contact between interposer pins 436 of the interposer board130 and the inquiry side contact pads 460 of the translator 140. Seals484 can be configured to maintain the vacuum between the interposerboard 130 and the translator 140. In other embodiments, the contactbetween the interposer board 130 and the translator 140 can be providedby, for example, mechanical clamps or other suitable devices.

The inquiry side contact pads 460 on the inquiry side of the translator140 are electrically connected to corresponding wafer side contact pads430 using traces 445. The relatively large size of the inquiry sidecontact pads 460 facilitates alignment with the interposer pins 436,while on the opposite side of the translator 140, the relatively smallsize of the wafer side contact pads 430 corresponds to the smallerpads/solderballs (e.g., contact structures 423) on the wafer. Traces 445in a translator board 435 electrically connect the inquiry side pads tothe wafer side contact pads.

In some embodiments of the present technology, the wafer side contactpads 430 include nanospike elements (e.g., nanospikes 410) that can becarried by nanospike pads 420. In other embodiments, the nanospikes 410can be attached to or formed integrally with the contact pads 430without the intermediary nanospike pads 420. In any of theseembodiments, the nanospikes can improve the electrical and/or mechanicalcontact between the translator 140 and the wafer 150 by having a vacuumin a space 496 between the translator 140 and the wafer 150, e.g., viaopenings 492. Seals 494 can be positioned around the space 496 tomaintain the vacuum in the space 496 between the translator 140 and thewafer 150.

The translator 140 can be aligned with the wafer 150 via the wafer chuck160, since the wafer is aligned and secured against the wafer chuck. Incertain embodiments, the wafer 150 and the wafer translator 140 can beremovably attached by systems and methods described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/547,418, assigned to the assignee of the presentapplication, filed on Aug. 25, 2009, and entitled “Maintaining aWafer/Wafer Translator Pair in an Attached State Free of a GasketDisposed Therebetween,” now U.S. Pat. No. 8,362,797, issued Jan. 29,2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Inother embodiments, the translator and wafer can be kept in contact by amechanical clamping device or other suitable devices. The alignment andvacuum between the inquiry side of the translator 140 and the wafer 150pulls the nanospikes in contact with contact structures of the wafer150, as described further below with reference to FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the translator 140 and thewafer 150, illustrating the contact between the nanospikes 410 of thetranslator 140 and the contact structure 423 (e.g., the solderball 422).The nanospikes 410 can be distributed over the wafer side nanospike pad420 which is attached to the translator board 435. In some embodimentsof the present technology, several nanospikes 410 contact the contactstructure 423, and in other embodiments hundreds or more nanospikes maycontact the contact structure. The nanospikes 410 can have a length (L)of about 1.0-1.5 μm and a base (B) of the same scale (e.g., about a μmscale), resulting in a nanospike cross-section (C) ranging from aboutseveral μm² at the base B to sub-μm² closer to the tip of the nanospike.In some embodiments of the present technology, the nanospikes areapproximately 0.3-2 μm long and in other embodiments the nanospikes,have other suitable lengths. Since the nanospikes 410 are significantlysmaller than the solderball 422, the contact does not mechanicallydamage the solderball. If a vacuum is used in the space 496 between thetranslator board 435 and the pad 422, the translator board 435 and thenanospike pads 420 may bend (as illustrated in dashed lines), thusfurther reducing the electrical contact resistance by bringing even morenanospikes 410 in contact with the solderball 422.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a wafer side contact pad array 600 of thewafer translator 140. The contact pad array 600 may include multiplenanospike pads 420 arranged to correspond to the die contacts of one ormore dies on a wafer. For example, the pad array 600 can include a 14×14array of nanospike pads 420 in the illustrated embodiment, or a varietyof other suitable configurations in other embodiments. In someembodiments of the present technology, the nano spike pads 420 on thewafer side of the translator 140 may be formed even where there are nocorresponding contact pads/solderballs on the die, for example tosimplify the manufacturing process of the nanospikes. Detail A of FIG. 6is an enlarged view of one nanospike pad 420. Detail A illustrates agenerally rectangular layout of the nanospikes 410. In otherembodiments, the nanospikes 410 can be distributed in concentriccircles, in staggered rows, randomly, and/or in other arrangements. Manysuitable layouts can produce good mechanical and electrical contactbetween a sufficient number of the nanospikes 410 on a nanospike pad 420and a corresponding pad/solderball of the device under test because ofthe small size of the nanospikes in comparison with the largerpads/solderballs.

FIGS. 7A-7C are a side view, a top view cross-section and a bottom viewcross-section, respectively, of a row of the solderballs 422 in contactwith the corresponding nanospikes 410 described above. The solderballs422 are electrically connected to a die 712 via the corresponding pads421. In some other embodiments, for example, when the device under testis a packaged semiconductor device, the pads 421 may be connected to asubstrate which carries the die. In either of these embodiments thenanospikes 410 can provide suitable electrical contact with thecorresponding solderballs 422 even with some misalignment between thenanospike pads 420 and the solderballs 422. Because the multiplecurrent-carrying nanospikes 410 are distributed over a suitable area,the nanospikes contact corresponding solderballs even if the nanospikepads 420 are not perfectly centered on the corresponding solderballs422. Accordingly, the alignment requirements for the overall system canbe relaxed, thus potentially reducing system complexity and/or cost. Insome embodiments, the alignment between the translator and the deviceunder test can be purposely offset from one touchdown to another so asto contact different regions of nanospikes with the corresponding devicecontact structures. An advantage of this arrangement is that it can, forexample, more evenly wear the nanospikes or require less frequentcleaning of the nanospikes. In other embodiments, the device under testor/and the translator may move, at least in part, laterally (i.e., ingenerally parallel planes) after establishing a contact to furtherimprove the contact between the nanospikes and corresponding contactstructures of the device under test.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the solderballs 422 in contact with thenanospikes 410. In this embodiment, a vacuum (represented by referencenumber 855) is applied to the space between the wafer translator and thewafer. The vacuum 855 can improve the contact between the nanospikes 410and the solderballs 422. In some embodiments of the present technology,the vacuum 855 may also cause the wafer translator board 435 to flex(e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 5), which can furtherimprove the contact between the nanospikes 410 and the solderballs 422.For example, flexing the translator board 435 can drive more nanospikes410 into the solderballs 422 than can a flat translator board becausethe flexed translator board conforms, at least in part, to the surfaceof the solderballs 422. The flexing of the wafer translator boardillustrated in FIG. 8 is not necessarily drawn to scale, and may besmaller and/or distributed in other manners in some embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a test assembly 900 having a stack of (frombottom-to-top) the wafer 150, the translator 140 and the interposerboard 130. The wafer 150 contains multiple dies 712, which can becontacted and tested one die at a time or simultaneously. The nanospikes410 on the wafer side of the translator 140 are electrically routedthrough the translator board 435 to the inquiry side pads 960. In someembodiments, inquiry side solderballs 970 may be disposed on the inquiryside pads 960. Since the inquiry side solderballs 970 are relativelylarge (in comparison with the curved top surface of the die solderball422), the interposer board 130 can include relatively large interposerpins 990. In some embodiments, the interposer pins 990 can have inquiryside penetrators 980 for breaking the oxide layer over the inquiry sidesolderballs 970. The opposite sides of the interposer pins 990 can beconnected to the interposer board and further to the tester.

FIGS. 10A-10G illustrate a representative process for manufacturing thenanospikes in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.FIG. 10A shows a nanospike manufacturing assembly 1000 having carriers1030 attached to a manufacturing substrate 1010 by carrier attachelements 1020. The carriers 1030 can have a diameter (or, for anon-circular shape, another characteristic cross-sectional dimension)that is generally close to the size of the nanospike pad. The carriers1030 can be made of metal or another electrically conductive materialincluding, for example, heavily doped semiconductors or graphite. Asexplained in relation to FIGS. 10B-10G below, the nanospikes form on topsides 1031 of the carriers 1030.

FIG. 10B shows the nanospike manufacturing assembly 1000 with thecarriers 1030 in an encapsulation material 1040. The encapsulationmaterial 1040 can include, for example, silicon epoxy, and/or othersuitable constituents. The encapsulation material 1040 can maintain afixed distance between the carriers 430 and can also protect the overallassembly from damage during the manufacturing process.

FIG. 10C illustrates the nanospike manufacturing assembly 1000 with asuitable photoresist material 1050 applied over the top sides 1031 ofthe carriers 1030. FIG. 10D (including Detail A) illustrates thenanospike manufacturing assembly 1000 after openings 1055 have beenformed in the photoresist material 1050. The locations of the openings1055 generally corresponds to the locations of the nanospikes which willbe manufactured on the top sides 1031 of the carriers 1030. In at leastsome embodiments, the diameter of each opening 1055 approximates adesired diameter of a corresponding nanospike. Therefore, the nanospikeshaving similar dimensions, i.e., high regularity, can be manufacturedwhen the openings 1055 have similar size. The thickness of thephotoresist material 1050 can, at least in part, determine the length ofthe nanospikes.

FIG. 10E (including Detail A) illustrates the nanospike manufacturingassembly 1000 after a nanospike material has been disposed on thephotoresist material 1050 and in the openings 1055 in the photoresistmaterial 1050, e.g., by chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, or othersuitable methods. Accordingly, disposing the nanospike material createsboth a layer 1060 over the photoresist material 1050, and the nanospikes410 in the openings 1055 of the photoresist material 1050.

FIG. 10F (including Detail A) illustrates the nanospike manufacturingassembly 1000 after the photoresist material and the encapsulationmaterial are removed. Suitable methods for removing the photoresistincluding, for example, applying a liquid resist-stripper, whichchemically alters the resist so that it no longer adheres to theunderlying carriers 1030. In some other embodiments, the photoresistmaterial may be removed by a plasma containing oxygen (i.e., by“ashing”), which oxidizes and removes the photoresist material. Afterthe photoresist material is removed from the carriers 1030, thenanospikes 410 are exposed.

FIG. 10G illustrates a process for thinning the carriers 1030, whichforms the nanospike pads 420 that support the nanospikes 410. Theremoval process is indicated schematically by arrows 1065. Suitablemethods for thinning the carriers 1030 include, for example, chemicaletching or mechanical grinding. The carriers 1030 may be singulated fromthe manufacturing substrate 410 (not shown) prior to thinning. Suitablehandlers (e.g., pick-and-place devices) can manipulate and/or hold inplace the carriers 1030 during the thinning process. In at least someembodiments of the present technology, the manufacturing processdescribed with reference to FIGS. 10A-10G can produce the nanospikes 410attached to the nanospike pad 420 that is suitable for attachment to thetranslator.

FIG. 11 (including Detail A) illustrates a sputtering process formanufacturing the nanospikes. In the illustrated embodiment, asputtering material 1110 is fed past an electron source 1120 which canionize the sputtering material. The ionized sputtering material 1170 isdirected through a nozzle 1130 to a sputtering chamber 540 and furthertoward a sputtering chuck 1160 that supports the manufacturing substrate1010, which in turn includes the carriers 1030. Detail A of FIG. 11shows a carrier 1030 covered with a patterned photoresist material 1050.The sputtering material 1110 can accumulate in the openings 1055 of thephotoresist material to form the nanospikes 410. The sputtering chuck1160 can rotate about an axis R, thus exposing the openings 1055 tosputtering material arriving from different angles of incidence. Theresulting build-up of the nanospikes 410 is discussed further below withreference to FIGS. 12A-13H.

FIGS. 12A-12D illustrate a sequence of steps for building up thenanospikes. Each of FIGS. 12A-12D illustrates a plan top view (the lowerportion of the figure) and a cross-sectional side view (the upperportion of the figure) at a different angle of incidence relative to theionized sputtering material 1170. Each figure corresponds to a 90°rotation of the sputtering chuck relative to the neighboring figure(s).At each rotation increment, different portions of the opening 1055 inthe photoresist material 1050 are exposed to the incident of sputteringmaterial 1170, as illustrated in cross-section in the upper portions ofthe figures. The illustrated rotations uniformly or generally uniformlyexpose the opening 1055 to the ionized sputtering material 1170, despitethe non-zero incidence angle of the ionized sputtering material 1170.During the illustrated process, the accumulation of the ionizedsputtering material 1170 in the opening 1055 causes the nanospike togrow, as shown by the progression of accumulated material 1210 a-1210 d.Ultimately, the process can produce a generally symmetric and conicalnanospike 410.

FIGS. 13A-13H illustrate a sequence of steps for building up a nanospikein accordance with another embodiment of the nanospike manufacturingprocess. Representative cross-sections and corresponding plan views areshown one above the other for each step. In this embodiment the 90°rotation increments occur more frequently than in the embodiment shownin FIGS. 12A-12D. Therefore, the sputtering wafer spends less time ateach position, resulting in smaller increments of the vertical build-upof the nanospike at a given position. As a result, in at least someembodiments, the nanospike 410 can be made in pyramid-like layers, forexample layers 1310 a-1310 d. As the sputtering chuck spends evershorter times at any given position, the rotation approximate acontinuous rotation, producing a nanospike shaped as a cone with amorecontinuous outer surface.

FIGS. 14A-14F illustrate several nanospikes in accordance with stillfurther embodiments of the present technology. Combinations of thesputtering wafer rotation, the sputtering source strength and/or thesputtering source angle can produce nanospikes with differentcross-sectional shapes. Some representative shapes are shown in FIGS.14A-14F. For example, FIG. 14A illustrates a nanospike 410 a having aconcave cross-section with a tip diameter D and height H. In someembodiments the height H can be about 1-1.5 μm. The nanospike 410 a canbe covered by a cover material 1410 a, which is an overlay layergenerally thinner than the bulk material forming the nanospike 410 a.The nanospike 410 a and the cover material 1410 a can include differentmaterials. For example, the nanospike material can be good electricalconductor, e.g., aluminum or copper, while the cover material 1410 a canbe hard and/or abrasion resistant material, e.g., a carbide compound ortitanium. In other embodiments, the cover material can resist or inhibitsticking to the solder or pad material, thus reducing the likelihood forcontaminating the nanospike contactors. As will be described furtherbelow with reference to FIG. 18, hard materials may provide for suitablecoatings, even if they are not optimally electrically conductive. FIG.14B illustrates a nanospike 410 b with a concave cross-section, similarto the nanospike 410 a shown in FIG. 14A, but without the cover material1410 a. FIG. 14C illustrates a nanospike 410 c with a generallytriangular cross-sectional shape having a height H and a base width D.FIG. 14D illustrates a nanospike 410 d with a convex cross-section.FIGS. 14E and 14F illustrate nanospikes 410 e and 410 f with angledtips, which may improve the contact when the wafer translator (or othercontact structure that carries the nanospikes) moves sideways during thecontact with the contactor structure of the device under the test. Theparticular nanospike shape used for a given device under test can beselected based, for example, on the type, shape, and/or location of thecontact structures carried by the device.

FIGS. 15A-17B illustrate the photoresist openings and the correspondingnanospike shapes in accordance with yet further embodiments of thepresent technology. FIG. 15A is a plan view of a star-shaped photoresistopening 1550, which, when used in conjunction with suitable sputteringchuck rotation increments, can produce a star-shaped nanospike 410 gshown in FIG. 15B. Such a nanospike can be advantageous in someembodiments of the disclosed technology, for example to create a largercontact area between the nanospikes and the correspondingpads/solderballs. FIGS. 16A-16B illustrate a blade-shaped photoresistopening 1650 and the corresponding nanospike 410 h. The blade-shapednanospike 410 h can be advantageous when, for example, a sliding of thenanospike over the pad/solderball is expected or desired. FIGS. 17A-17Billustrate a cross-shaped photoresist opening 1650 and the correspondingnanospike 410 h. The cross-shaped nanospike 410 h can be used when, forexample, it is difficult to lithographically manufacture corners of themask for the star-shaped nanospikes. In other embodiments, thephotoresist opening and the corresponding nanospikes can have othersuitable shapes to meet particular application requirements.

FIGS. 18A-18E illustrate a representative process for molding thenanospikes in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.FIG. 18A shows a nanospike manufacturing assembly 1800 having a moldingsubstrate 1810 and a mask 1820. The molding substrate 1810 can be, forexample, a silicon wafer having a <100> crystal orientation or othermolding substrate material that is suitable for anisotropic etching.

FIG. 18B shows the nanospike manufacturing assembly 1800 after a patternof mask openings 1825 has been created in the mask 1820. The location ofthe openings 1825 generally corresponds to the location of thenanospikes which will be manufactured on or in the molding substrate1810. In at least some embodiments, the diameter (or othercharacteristic dimension) of each opening 1825 approximates a desireddiameter of a base of corresponding nanospike.

FIG. 18C shows the nanospike manufacturing assembly 1800 after a patternof mold openings 1830 has been etched in the molding substrate 1810. Insome embodiments, the molding substrate 1810 can be anisotropicallyetched using potassium hydroxide (KOH) or tetramethylammonium hydroxide(TMAH), and in other embodiments other anisotropic etchants are used.The shape of mold openings 1830 can be different depending at least inpart on the shape of the openings 1825. For example, if the moldingsubstrate 1810 is formed from the <100> silicon, a circular mask opening1825 results in a generally conical mold opening 1830, while arectangular mask opening 1825 results in a generally pyramidal moldopening 1830. Furthermore, combinations of different shapes of maskopenings 1825 are used in other embodiments, resulting in correspondingcombinations of shapes of the mold openings 1830.

FIG. 18D shows the nanospike manufacturing assembly after the mask 1820has been removed and a nanospike material 1840 has been applied over themolding substrate 1810. In some embodiments, the nanospike material 1840can include several materials. For example, a seed conductive materialcan be applied first, followed by the remainder of the nanospikematerial 1840.

FIG. 18E shows a process for separating the nanospike material 1840 fromthe molding substrate 1810. In some embodiments, the nanospike material1840 can be mechanically peeled from the molding substrate 1810 asgenerally indicated by an arrow 1845. The molding substrate 1810 can bereused to mold more nanospikes. In other embodiments, the moldingsubstrate 1810 can be etched away leaving the nanospike material 1840with the nanospikes 410 attached to the nanospike pad 420. Afterseparation from the molding substrate 1810, the nanospike pad 420carrying nanospikes 410 can be attached to a suitable board, for examplethe translator board 435 (FIG. 5) for contacting a device under test.Further representative manufacturing techniques are disclosed in U.S.application Ser. No. 13/842,830, titled “Designed Asperity Contactors,Including Nanospikes, for Semiconductor Test, and Associated Systems andMethods,” filed Mar. 15, 2013, now abandoned, and incorporated herein byreference.

FIG. 19 is a graph of electrical resistivity and Vickers hardness forseveral materials, e.g., materials suitable for nanospikes (thematerials toward the left side of the graph) and materials suitable forrepresentative contact pads (the materials toward the right side of thegraph). The nanospike materials are generally selected to be harder thanthe contact pad materials to assure penetration of the pad materials(e.g., aluminum illustrated in the graph), and/or copper and tin basedsolders, which are softer than aluminum. In many applications, a layerof alumina (i.e., aluminum oxide) is the hardest material that can beexpected on the contact pad. The nanospike material is also generallyselected to be harder than the mating contact pad/solderball material onthe device under test to increase the durability of the nanospikes.Since many nanospikes make contact with the correspondingpad/solderball, thus resulting in a relatively high cumulative contactarea, the electrical conductivity of the nanospike material can berelatively low, yet can still produce acceptably high electricalconductivity of the nanospike based contactor. Therefore, in at leastsome embodiments, the nanospikes with relatively high electricalresistivity can perform well for as long as they are sufficiently hard.For example, tungsten carbide or hafnium carbide can be suitablenanospike materials based on their high hardness even though theelectrical resistivity of these materials is higher than the electricalresistivity of commonly used electrical conductors like, for example,aluminum or copper.

The following sections describe the applications of the nanospikes(and/or other designed asperities) in testing the dies using a packagehaving the nanospikes as part of a translator. As described below, thetesting can be combined with packaging the good dies to create a fullytested packaged device (sometimes referred to as a “known good die” inthe semiconductor industry).

FIGS. 20A-20C schematically illustrate a package-based translator 2000for testing a device while on the wafer. Many features of FIGS. 20A-20Care not shown to scale for purposes of illustration. As illustrated inan exploded view of FIG. 20A, the wafer 150 can be supported by a waferchuck 160. The wafer 150 typically includes multiple dies 712 that areseparated by wafer streets 2040. In a conventional process, aftertesting the dies 712, the wafer can be singulated using, for example, awafer saw or other wafer singulation tools. Those dies 712 that passedthe testing are packaged, re-tested and submitted to additionalprocessing steps (e.g., burn-in, marking, etc.). However, with theembodiments of the present technology illustrated in FIGS. 20A-20C, thedies 712 can be tested using a package 2035 that is also a translator.The wafer side of the package 2035 can have nanospikes 410 attached tothe nanospike pads 420. The layout of the nanospike pads 420 correspondsto the layout of the solderballs 422 on the die 712. The small size ofthe nanospikes coupled with generally large number of the nanospikes pereach nanospike pad 420 provides easier alignment between the wafer sideof the package 2035 and the die 712. The package 2035 includes tracesconnecting the nanospike pads 420 on the wafer side of the package tothe larger inquiry pads 2060 on the opposite side of the package. Thepackage 2035 can mate with a socket 2090 that is connected to a sourceof signals and power. In some embodiments, the package 2035 can be asocket that is normally used on a motherboard or other printed wireboardin conjunction with the packaged die. The socket 2090 can have packagepads 2030 which in operation contact the corresponding inquiry pads 2060on the package 2035. The package pads 2030 are connected to pins 2020and further to appropriate power/signal channels of the tester (notshown) for testing the die 712.

FIG. 20B illustrates the package-based translator 2000 in operation. Thesocket 2090 and the package 2035 can be held together during the testand/or while stepping from one die 712 to another, e.g., via a vacuumhandler, a pick and place device and/or other suitable device ortechnique. During the test, the nanospikes 410 contact the correspondingsolderballs 422 to transfer signals and power from the tester (notshown) through the pins 2020. Since a combination of the socket 2090 andthe package 2035 having the nanospikes can deliver the amount of currentand the speed of signals to the die 712 that are comparable to what apackaged device would experience, the test parameters can be selected ortuned to at least approximate the test corresponding to that of thepackaged device. Typically, the higher power and higher frequency thatis representative of a packaged device test helps in detecting devicedefects that may have escaped the lower power/speed test done withconventional wafer contactors, thus reducing or eliminating the need foran additional test on the subsequent packaged device. If the testerdetermines that a particular die 712 failed the test, then the socket2090 and the package 2035 can be moved to the next die 712 for testing.In some embodiments of the present technology, if the die 712 passes thetest then the die can be packaged as explained with reference to FIG.20C below.

FIG. 20C illustrates a packaged device 2080 having the solderballs 422of the die 712 and the nanospikes 410 of the package 2035 soldered. Insome embodiments of the present technology, when the die 712 passes thetest, the die/package pair can be heated to cause an intermetallic bondbetween the solderballs 422 and the corresponding nanospike/nanospikepads of the package 2035. The socket 2090 can be removed and paired witha new package 2035 to test another die 712. The packaged devices 2080can be singulated using, for example, a wafer saw. In at least someembodiments, the packaged device 2080 do not require additional testingbecause the device was already tested at suitably high speed/powerconditions, as explained above. In some embodiments of the technology,different types of packages can be used to package devices of differentperformance (i.e., belonging to different “bins”).

FIGS. 21A-21B schematically illustrate an intermetallic bond between thesolderball 422 and the nanospikes 410. FIG. 21A schematicallyillustrates the nanospikes 410 in the solderball 422 after melting andresolidifying of the solderball 422. Heat for the melting can beprovided by, for example, convective or radiative heating or increasedelectrical current between the nanospikes 410 and the solderballs 2035.An inert gas atmosphere (e.g., an atmosphere having N₂, Ar, or He) canbe maintained during the melting process to improve the quality of theintermetallic bond. In at least some embodiments of the technology, thepresence of many nanospikes 410 inside the solderball 422 improves themechanical strength of the contact and reduces its electricalresistance. By bending or otherwise conforming the nanospike pads 420(not necessarily drawn in scale), the operator can bring more nanospikes411 in contact with the solderball 422 and can also accommodate for someinaccuracies in the solderball height and/or position.

FIG. 21B schematically illustrates an embodiment of a process forconnecting the solderball 422 and the nanospikes 410 where theintermetallic bond includes at least partial melting of the nanospikes410 into the solderball 422. In the illustrated embodiment, thesolderball 422 may locally melt around the nanospikes 410 to promotediffusion of the nanospike material 2210 into the solderball.Resolidification of the nanospike material 2210 and/or the solderball422 creates an intermetallic bond of high mechanical strength and lowelectrical resistance. In some embodiments, the nanospike material 2110in the solderball 422 remains detectable, e.g., by crystallographyand/or other methods.

FIGS. 22A-22B schematically illustrate use of an underfill 2210 inconjunction with the intermetallic bond described with reference toFIGS. 21A-21B. Suitable underfill materials includeelectrically-insulating adhesives in a solid or liquid form, amongothers. FIG. 22A illustrates the underfill 2210 in the form of a solidsheet, with openings sized to correspond to the diameter of solderballs422. FIG. 22B illustrates the underfill 2210 after the nanospikes 410and the solderball 422 have been joined. In some embodiments of thepresent technology, the heat for melting the solderballs and/or thenanospikes can also melt the underfill 2210. In other embodiments, theunderfill 2210 can be activated and melted separately from the processof creating the intermetallic bond between the nanospikes and thesolderball. The surface tension of the melted underfill 2210 can promotedistribution of the underfill 2210 around the solderball 422 and incontact with the nanospike pad 420 and pad 421 of the electroniccircuit, thus reducing or eliminating thermally induced delamination orcracking of the interconnects.

FIGS. 23A and 23B illustrate nanospikes 410 in accordance with furtherembodiments of the present technology. FIG. 23A illustrates a nanospike410 having nanospike layers 410 n and 410 m. In some embodiments, thenanospike layers 410 n can be nickel and the nanospike layers 410 m canbe aluminum. The nanospikes 410 can be made using manufacturingprocesses described in conjunction with FIGS. 10A-11. When ready tocreate an intermetallic bond, for example after a die tested “good” andis ready for packaging, an exothermic reaction can be started in thelayers of the nanospike. The exothermic reaction can be started by, forexample, inductive, acoustic or electrical heating, or by a laser. Theexothermic reaction can be designed to melt the nanospike and a portionof the solderball to create intermetallic bonds. FIG. 23B illustrates(in cross-section) a nanospike 410 having the nanospike layers 410 n,410 m disposed around a nanospike core 410 p. The nanospike layers 410,410 m can be selected to undergo an exothermic chemical reaction afterinitiation, as explained with reference to FIG. 23A above. In someembodiments, the nanospike core can be copper that does not melt as theintermetallic bond forms.

FIGS. 24A-24B illustrate a nanospike-based contactor 2410 in accordancewith an embodiment of the present technology. The contactor 2410 caninclude nanospike pads 420 with the nanospikes 410. The nanospike padscan be attached to a translator board 435, which may be a flexiblesubstrate, for example, a polyamide film or other stretchable substrate.Electrical traces (not shown) in the translator board 435 electricallyconnect the nanospike pads 420 to their respective solderballs 2440 anda contactor substrate 2430. In some embodiments, conductive columns, forexample copper columns, can be used instead or in addition to thesolderballs 2440. The signals and power from a tester (not shown) can berouted through the contactor 2410 stack to the nanospikes 410, andfurther to a die 2420. In some instances, the solderballs 422 on the die2420 can have nonuniform height, as illustrated with the heights L₁, L₂and L₃.

FIG. 24B illustrates the nanospike-based contactor 2410 in contact withthe solderballs 422 of the die 2420. In the illustrated embodiment ofthe present technology, the translator board 435 can stretch to conformto the nonuniform height of the solderballs 422 (e.g., the heights L₁,L₂ and L₃). As a result, even a shorter solderball 422 (e.g., thesolderball having the height L₂) can maintain good contact with thenanospikes 410. In some embodiments, the contact between the solderballs422 and the nanospikes 410 can be improved by providing a pressuredifferential across the translator board 435, for example a lowerpressure 2480 on the wafer side of the translator board 435 and a higherpressure 2470 on its opposite side.

The following sections describe the applications of the nanospikes formaking the size and shape of the solderballs more uniform. In someapplications, better uniformity of the size/shape of the solderballs canincrease the test and packaging yields. This approach can accordinglyaddress the problems associated with small non-uniformitiesand/non-roundness of the solderballs causing a decrease in thetesting/packaging yields.

FIG. 25 illustrates a solderball 422 prior to reshaping (422 a) andafter reshaping (422 b) in accordance with an embodiment of the presenttechnology. The non-roundness of the shape of the solderball 422 a isexaggerated for the purposes of illustration. In a more commonsituation, however, a non-roundness or an excessive height of thesolderball 422 a can be relatively small and can be corrected withpressure from the contactor stack 435/420/410. The contactor stack isdrawn in solid lines prior to contacting the solderball, and in dashedlines when in contact with the solderball. In some embodiments, thecontactor stack may bend when pressing against the solderball. Therelatively small scale and high number of the nanospikes 410 in contactwith the solderball 422 can prevent damage to the solderball during theprocess of reshaping the solderball. In some embodiments, both theexcessive height and the non-roundness of the solderball may becorrected using the contactor stack 435/420/410.

FIGS. 26A-26C illustrate several views of a reshaping translator 2600suitable for testing a device under test and for reshaping thesolderballs of the device under test. FIG. 26A is a bottom isometricview of the reshaping translator 2600 that can both test the dies andreshape the solderballs. Accordingly, the reshaping translator 2600 canhave a smaller size/pitch contacts on its wafer side and a largersize/pitch contacts on its inquiry side. FIG. 26A illustrates a bottomview of the reshaping translator 2600 having four die contactors 2640.The reshaping translators 2600 with a bigger or smaller number of thedie contactors 2640 are also possible. The reshaping translator 2600 caninclude several die contactors 2640, the number depending on the numberof dies whose solderballs are reshaped/tested in parallel. The diecontactors 2640 include nanospikes 410 distributed over the nanospikepads 420 (not visible). The die contactors 2640 can be carried by atranslator board 435. In some embodiments, the reshaping translator 2600includes force actuators 2610 that can align and press the translatorboard 435 against the semiconductor wafer. For example, three forceactuators 2610 can be used to align the reshaping translator 2600against a semiconductor wafer in the proper plane. The force actuatorscan be piezoelectric, pneumatic, hydraulic, or other suitable forceactuators.

FIG. 26B is a top isometric view of the reshaping translator 2600 havingthe inquiry side contact pads 460 with a bigger size/pitch than thecontact pads on the wafer side of the translator. In at least someembodiment of the technology, the force actuators 2610 can be located atthe inquiry side of the reshaping translator 2600. FIG. 26C is a sideview of the reshaping translator 2600 that is aligned and spaced apartfrom the wafer 150. For the sake of clarity of the illustration, thereshaping translator 2600 suitable for reshaping/testing one die isshown, but the reshaping translators capable of addressing multiple diesare also possible. In operation, the reshaping translator can be pressedagainst the solderballs 422 of the die to reshape them. The reshapingtranslator 2600 can also electrically connect the device under the testto the tester for testing the device prior, during, or after reshapingthe solderballs. After the reshaping and/or testing of the die isfinished, the reshaping translator 2600 can step to the next die.

In some embodiments, the translator board 435 can have a wafer sidefacing the die, an inquiry side facing away from the wafer side, aplurality of wafer side contact pads 460 carried by the board at thewafer side of the package, and a plurality of nanospikes 410 carried byat least one wafer side contact pad. In general, the plurality of waferside contact pads corresponds to a plurality of solderballs 422 of a dieon a wafer. The reshaping translator 2600 can further have the forceactuators 2610 configured to provide forces that produce contact betweenthe contact sites 2640 of the board and the corresponding solderballs422 of the die, thus reshaping the solderballs 422. In some embodiments,the solderballs 422 of a die on a wafer can be reshaped by positioning areshaping translator 2600 proximate to the solderballs 422 of the die.The reshaping translator 2600 can have a first side facing thesolderballs 422, and a second side facing away from the first side. Thefirst side can carry a plurality of contact pads 460, and at least onecontact pad 460 can carry a plurality of nanospikes 410. The reshapingtranslator 2600 can contact one or more solderballs 422 of the die withthe contact pads 460. The solderballs 422 of the die can reshape underthe pressure of the contact pads 460. Furthermore, the die can beelectrically connected via the reshaping translator to a tester to testthe die. The contact pads 460 carried by the first side of the reshapingtranslator 2600 can be smaller than the contact pads carried by thesecond side of the reshaping translator.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments ofthe technology have been described herein for purposes of illustration,but that various modifications may be made without deviating from thedisclosure. For example, in some embodiments, the nanospikes can be madeby chemical etching, in addition to or in lieu of an additive process.The etching process may start by attaching wires having diameter ofseveral microns to a metal substrate. Next, the substrate can beinverted and the wires repeatedly exposed to a chemical etchant by, forexample, dipping the wires into an etchant pool. Because the etchantdrains along the length of the wires, the tips of the wires tend to etchmore than the bases of the wires, thus producing tapered (e.g., pointy)cones. The process can stop when the desired size of the nanospikes isachieved. In other embodiments, nanospikes having different sizes and/orshapes can be configured on a nanospike pad. Furthermore, in someembodiments of present technology, the nanospike pads 420 can be carriedby the interposer board 130, which can directly contact the device undertest, without the intermediate translator. The test stackup without thetranslator may be particularly applicable in cases for which the contactstructures of the device under test are relatively large, thus notrequiring a translator having smaller wafer side pads and larger inquiryside pads. In some embodiments of the present technology, the nanospikescan be made by applying a metal coating over a plastic substrate. Even arelatively small thickness of the metal coating can result in anacceptably low overall contact resistance because of the large surfacearea of the nanospikes in contact with the device under test. In someembodiments, the tip of the nanospikes can be planarized to createblunted nanospikes that may be more resistant to tip breakage. In someother embodiments, nanospikes of different sizes can be used on the samecontactor. Furthermore, larger nanospikes can carry smaller nanospikeson the side surfaces to, for example, decrease contact resistance byfurther increasing the contact area. Furthermore, the smaller nanospikescan have different mechanical/electrical properties than the largernanospikes. In some embodiments, the nanospikes can be used forcontacting biological material, for example, tissue cells. The size ofthe nanospikes can generally correspond to the size of tissue cell orelements of the cell, for example proteins.

Moreover, while various advantages and features associated with certainembodiments have been described above in the context of thoseembodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages and/orfeatures, and not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit suchadvantages and/or features to fall within the scope of the technology.Accordingly, the disclosure can encompass other embodiments notexpressly shown or described herein.

While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, itwill be appreciated that various changes can be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1-25. (canceled)
 26. An apparatus for testing semiconductor dies,comprising: a translator having a wafer side positioned to face toward adevice under test, and an inquiry side facing away from the wafer side;a plurality of wafer-side sites carried by the translator at the waferside of the translator; and a plurality of nanospikes carried by atleast one wafer-side site.
 27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein thenanospikes are made of a material selected from a group consisting oftantalum nitride, tungsten carbide, hafnium carbide, titanium carbide,titanium diboride, molybdenum carbide, rhenium diboride, and acombination thereof.
 28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein across-section of the nanospikes is selected from a group consisting ofgenerally concave, triangular, convex, and a combination thereof. 29.The apparatus of claim 26, wherein a shape of the nanospikes is selectedfrom a group consisting of a star, a blade, a cross, a spike, and acombination thereof.
 30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein thenanospikes comprise a cover material.
 31. The apparatus of claim 26,wherein the nanospikes are approximately 0.3-2 μm long.
 32. Theapparatus of claim 26, wherein the nanospikes are arranged in a gridwith a spacing of approximately 0.3-2 μm from one nanospike to another.33. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the nanospikes are generallyperpendicular to the at least one wafer-side contact pad.
 34. Theapparatus of claim 26, further comprising: a plurality of inquiry sidecontact sites on the inquiry side of the translator; and an interposerhaving a plurality of interposer contacts in electrical contact with theinquiry side contact sites.
 35. The apparatus of claim 34, furthercomprising: a device interface board aligned with the interposer and inelectrical contact with the interposer.
 36. The apparatus of claim 34,wherein the inquiry side contact sites of the translator are larger thanthe contact sites at the wafer-side of the translator.
 37. A method formanufacturing a translator having a wafer side configured to face towarda device under test, and an inquiry side facing away from the waferside, comprising: applying a photoresist material over a first surfaceof a metal carrier; patterning the photoresist material to createapertures exposing portions of the first surface of the metal carrier;disposing nanospike material in the apertures of the photoresistmaterial to form the nano spikes; removing the photoresist material, atleast in part, from the first surface of the metal carrier; andattaching the nanospikes to the wafer side of the translator.
 38. Themethod of claim 37, further comprising thinning the metal carrier byremoving a portion of the metal carrier facing away from the nanospikes.39. The method of claim 37, further comprising rotating the metalcarrier to shape the nanospikes by controlling the disposing of thenanospike material in the apertures of the photoresist material.
 40. Themethod of claim 37, wherein the nanospikes include a material selectedfrom a group consisting of tantalum nitride, tungsten carbide, hafniumcarbide, titanium carbide, titanium diboride, molybdenum carbide,alumina, rhenium diboride, and a combination thereof.
 41. The method ofclaim 37, wherein the apertures in the photoresist materials have ashape selected from a group consisting of a circle, a star, a blade, anda combination thereof.
 42. The method of claim 37, wherein attaching thenanospikes to the wafer-side of the translator comprises attaching thenano spikes carried by the metal carrier.
 43. The method of claim 37,further comprising separating the nanospikes from the metal carrierprior to attaching the nanospikes to the wafer-side of the translator.44. The method of claim 37, further comprising: applying an intermediatematerial over wafer-side contact sites on the translator; anddistributing the nanospikes over the intermediate material of thewafer-side contact pad, wherein joining the nanospikes with a wafer-sidecontact pad includes heating the nanospikes, the wafer-side contact pad,or both.